202 mi ( 325 km ) northeast of new orleans , louisiana ; and 231 mi ( 37 ##2 km ) southeast of memphis , tennessee . established in 1860 , at the intersection of the mobile and ohio railroad and southern railway of mississippi , meridian ' s economy was built on the railways and goods transported on them , and it became a strategic trading center . during the american civil war , general william te ##cum ##se ##h sherman burned much of the city to the ground in the battle of meridian ( february , 1864 ) . rebuilt after the war , the city entered a " golden age " it become the largest city in mississippi between 1890 and 1930 , and a
202 mi ( 325 km ) northeast of new orleans, louisiana ; and 231 mi ( 372 km ) southeast of memphis, tennessee. established in 1860, at the intersection of the mobile and ohio railroad and southern railway of mississippi, meridian's economy was built on the railways and goods transported on them, and it became a strategic trading center. during the american civil war, general william tecumseh sherman burned much of the city to the ground in the battle of meridian ( february, 1864 ). rebuilt after the war, the city entered a " golden age " it become the largest city in mississippi between 1890 and 1930, and a